The key to obtaining a beautiful finish from the buffing process is in the preparation. Everything in the room must be removed to expose the entire surface of the floor. Carefully inspect every inch of the hardwood floor’s surface and use a hammer to sink any raised nails, and pliers to pull any protruding staples.

Never use a damp rag when preparing a hardwood floor’s surface, as the grain of the wood will slightly rise from the moisture.

After the floor has been thoroughly inspected use a vacuum to remove any remaining dirt or debris. It is wise to also remove any pictures or art hanging on the walls, as the sanding process generates a lot of airborne dust.

Buffing Hardwood Floor – Truong Nguyen

Sanding

Before sanding always equip safety goggles and ensure the room is properly ventilated. Open any windows to increase airflow into the room to vent some of the airborne dust that will be generated. Prepare a drum sander by mounting 60-grit sandpaper to it and start in one corner of the room.

Walk the drum sander forward ensuring that the sander is moving with the grain of the wood. If the flooring is in poor condition with a great deal of warping it may be necessary to sand diagonal to the grain of the wood. It is of utmost importance to always keep the sander moving and never let it idle in one spot of the floor. Continue this process until the entire surface of the hardwood floor has been covered.

Buffing Hardwood Floors

Buffing

Before buffing the hardwood floor it is advisable to wait 30 minutes for all of the airborne particles to settle. The entire room should be thoroughly vacuumed once again so that the surface of the hardwood floor is pristine. Use a floor buffer equipped with a 120-grit buffing screen to buff the hardwood floor by starting in the middle of the room.

The floor buffer must be kept in motion at all times using big sweeping arcs to cover large areas of the hardwood floor in one pass. The buffer may seem hard to control at first – do not fight against the floor buffer but rather direct it towards the next area to be buffed.

After the entire surface of the hardwood floor has been covered, vacuum the floor once more to remove any remaining debris. The buffed hardwood floor is now properly prepped and is ready for finishing if one chooses.